Government consults on paid carer's leave and support for parents of seriously ill children

What is carer's leave?

Carer's leave came into force on 6 April 2024. It allows employees to take up to one week of unpaid leave in a rolling 12-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. 

A dependant includes a spouse, partner, child or parent. It can also include someone who lives in the same household (other than a boarder, employee, lodger or tenant) who reasonably relies on the employee to provide or arrange care. A dependant has a ‘long-term’ care need if they: 

• have an illness or injury that requires, or is likely to require, care for more than three months
• have a disability under the Equality Act 2010; or
• need care because of their old age.

Carer's leave is a ‘day one’ right, so employees can use it from the start of their employment. They can take the leave as a single block or in separate non-consecutive half days or full days. You can postpone a request if you reasonably believe it would cause undue disruption to the business. 

Government consultation

The government has launched its ‘Make Work Pay: Consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children’, seeking views on whether the current carer's leave - and employment rights for unpaid carers more broadly - are fit for purpose, and where changes could make a meaningful difference. 

Carer's leave

The government is considering a range of options and is seeking views on whether these would strengthen support for carers:

1.  Extending unpaid leave: one option is to increase the amount of unpaid leave employees can take, giving carers more time to manage their responsibilities.
2. Introducing a right to return after longer unpaid leave: this would allow employees to take an extended period of unpaid leave, with a right to return. It would operate in a similar way to maternity leave, where an employee's job, or similar equivalent role, is protected for the duration of the absence.
3. Introducing paid carer's leave: the government is also exploring the introduction of a short period of paid carer's leave. It recognises that some employees cannot afford to take unpaid leave and so do not use their current entitlement. The consultation seeks views on:
   1. what evidence, if any, employees should provide to confirm eligibility (for example, self-certification or confirmation from a professional)
   2. the appropriate length of paid leave (for example, 1-2 days, 3-4 days, 5 days or more); and
   3. the level of pay, including options such as:
      • 90% of pay
      • 50% of pay
      • a rate equivalent to Statutory Maternity Pay (£194.32 a week); or
      • a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay (£123.25 a week).

Support for parents of seriously ill children

The consultation also explores support for parents and primary caregivers after a child is diagnosed with a serious illness. The government is seeking views on the challenges families face, how well existing support is understood, and how a potential paid leave entitlement might work in practice. It also considers the potential impact on employers, employees and the wider labour market of introducing a paid leave entitlement.

More specifically, the consultation asks: 

• whether a new paid leave entitlement would provide meaningful support for parents
• how ‘serious illness’ should be defined
• who should be eligible; and
• what evidence, if any, employees should provide to confirm eligibility. 

If a paid entitlement is introduced, the government is seeking views on the appropriate length of a one-off period of paid leave per child. Options include: 

• 1 week
• 2 - 4 weeks
• 5 - 8 weeks
• 9 - 12 weeks
• More than 12 weeks

It is also consulting on the level of pay, suggesting the same options as those proposed for paid carer's leave.  

Finally, the consultation invites views on wider forms of support that could help parents, their families and employers. It asks which of the following would be most helpful:  

• Guidance for employers on supporting parents of seriously ill children
• Flexible working
• A longer, unpaid period of time away from work to focus on looking after a seriously ill child with a right to return to the same or similar role
• A shorter, paid period of time away from work to provide financial support in the immediate aftermath

Next steps

The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 1 September 2026. The government will then review the responses and publish its findings in due course. 

The government recognises that caring responsibilities vary significantly, and that no single approach will suit all carers. For that reason, it has not put forward specific policy proposals at this stage but is instead seeking views on a broad range of possible options. 

It emphasises that any future reforms must strike the right balance between supporting carers to enter and remain in work, while also carefully considering the impact on employers.

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